OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of Chinese medicine (CM) Lianhua Qingwen Granule (LHQW) and Jingyin Gubiao Prescription (JYGB) in asymptomatic or mild patients with Omicron infection in the shelter hospital. METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted in the largest shelter hospital in Shanghai, China, from April 10, 2022 to May 30, 2022. A total of 56,244 asymptomatic and mild Omicron cases were included and divided into 4 groups, i.e., non-administration group (23,702 cases), LHQW group (11,576 cases), JYGB group (12,112 cases), and dual combination of LHQW and JYGB group (8,854 cases). The length of stay (LOS) in the hospital was used to assess the effectiveness of LHQW and JYGB treatment on Omicron infection. RESULTS: Patients aged 41-60 years, with nadir threshold cycle (C_T) value of N gene <25, or those fully vaccinated preferred to receive CM therapy. Before or after propensity score matching (PSM), the multiple linear regression showed that LHQW and JYGB treatment were independent influence factors of LOS (both P<0.001). After PSM, there were significant differences in LOS between the LHQW/JYGB combination and the other groups (P<0.01). The results of factorial design ANOVA proved that the LHQW/JYGB combination therapy synergistically shortened LOS (P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS Patients with a nadir C_T value <25 were more likely to accept CM. The LHQW/JYGB combination therapy could shorten the LOS of Omicron-infected individuals in an isolated environment.
Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; China/epidemiology* ; Hospitalization ; COVID-19 Drug Treatment ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Length of Stay ; Young Adult ; Aged

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of Qingda Granule (QDG) in ameliorating hypertension-induced cardiac damage and investigate the underlying mechanisms involved. METHODS: Twenty spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were used to develope a hypertension-induced cardiac damage model. Another 10 Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as normotension group. Rats were administrated intragastrically QDG [0.9 g/(kg•d)] or an equivalent volume of pure water for 8 weeks. Blood pressure, histopathological changes, cardiac function, levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory response markers were measured. Furthermore, to gain insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of QDG against hypertension-induced cardiac injury, a network pharmacology study was conducted. Predicted results were validated by Western blot, radioimmunoassay immunohistochemistry and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, respectively. RESULTS: The administration of QDG resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure levels in SHRs (P<0.01). Histological examinations, including hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson trichrome staining revealed that QDG effectively attenuated hypertension-induced cardiac damage. Furthermore, echocardiography demonstrated that QDG improved hypertension-associated cardiac dysfunction. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and colorimetric method indicated that QDG significantly reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory response levels in both myocardial tissue and serum (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS Both network pharmacology and experimental investigations confirmed that QDG exerted its beneficial effects in decreasing hypertension-induced cardiac damage by regulating the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin II (Ang II)/Ang II receptor type 1 axis and ACE/Ang II/Ang II receptor type 2 axis.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/pathology* ; Renin-Angiotensin System/drug effects* ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Blood Pressure/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Rats ; Inflammation/pathology*

Objective To analyze the factors affecting pathological complete response(pCR)of triple-negative breast cancer(TNBC)patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy,and construct a nomogram to forecast the pCR rate.Methods The clinical and pathological data of 348 TNBC patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Air Force Medical University-Affiliated Xijing Hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were collected and set as modeling set.The clinical and pathological data of 69 TNBC patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the Xi'an No.3 Hospital from May 2018 to May 2021 were collected and set as validation set.The clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between the modeling set and the validation set.In the modeling set,the independent risk factors of pCR in TNBC patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were screened by LASSO regression model analysis,and the nomogram model was constructed.Internal validation of the model was conducted using Bootstrap method,and the discrimination of the model was assessed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.The accuracy of the model was evaluated by the calibration curve and the clinical benefits and application value of the model were evaluated by clinical decision curve analysis(DCA).Results There were significant differences in surgical method and T stage between the patients in modeling set and validation set(P<0.05).The results of analysis of LASSO regression model showed that T stage,N stage,the use of platinum drugs and clinical efficacy evaluation were independent risk factors of pCR in TNBC patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy(P<0.05).Based on the above variables,the nomogram models were constructed.In modeling set,area under curve(AUC)was 0.811(95%CI 0.763-0.859);in validation set,AUC was 0.801(95%CI 0.727-0.928).The Bootstrap method showed the C-index for internal validation was 0.79,indicating the model has good discrimination in both the modeling and validation sets.The calibration curve analysis showed that model predicted pCR rates had a good consistency with the actual observed values,and the DCA showed that model can bring clinical benefit.Conclusion The nomogram can accurately predict the pCR rates of TNBC patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and provide scientific basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVE To optimize ethanol extraction process of Yihuang powder. METHODS An orthogonal experiment was designed by reflux extraction with ethanol volume fraction， liquid-to-material ratio， and extraction time as investigation factors. The parameters used were the contents of hesperidin， nobiletin， tangeretin， gallic acid， chebulagic acid， chebulinic acid， liquiritin， glycyrrhizin， eugenol， and the paste-forming rate. The analytic hierarchy process （AHP） was used to calculate the comprehensive score. The optimal ethanol extraction process parameters of Yihuang powder were determined by verifying the results predicted by orthogonal experiment and genetic algorithm （GA）-back propagation neural network （BP neural network）. RESULTS The optimal ethanol extraction process parameters， as optimized by orthogonal experiment， were as follows: ethanol volume fraction of 60%， liquid-solid ratio of 14∶1 （mL/g)， extraction time of 90 min， and extraction for 2 times. The comprehensive score obtained by verification was 79.19. Meanwhile， the optimal ethanol extraction process parameters， optimized by GA-BP neural network， were ethanol volume fraction of 65%， liquid-solid ratio of 14∶1 （mL/g )， extraction time of 60 min， and extraction for 2 times. The comprehensive score obtained by verification was 85.30， higher than the results obtained from orthogonal experiment. CONCLUSIONS The optimization method of orthogonal experiment combined with GA-BP neural network is superior to the traditional orthogonal experiment optimization method. The optimized ethanol extraction process of Yihuang powder is stable and reliable.

Objective To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among close contacts of positive etiology pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)patients,provide basis for formula-ting intervention measures for LTBI.Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select close contacts of positive etiology PTB patients from 39 districts and counties in Chongqing City as the study objects.Demographic information was collected by questionnaire survey and the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected by interferon gamma release assay(IGRA).The influencing factors of LTBI were analyzed by x2 test and binary logistic regression model.Results A total of 2 591 close contacts were included,the male to female ratio was 0.69∶1,with the mean age of(35.72±16.64)years.1 058 cases of LTBI were detected,Myco-bacterium tuberculosis latent infection rate was 40.83％.Univariate analysis showed that the infection rate was dif-ferent among peoples of different age,body mass index(BMI),occupation,education level,marital status,wheth-er they had chronic disease or major surgery history,whether they lived together with the indicator case,and whether the cumulative contact time with the indicator case ≥250 hours,difference were all statistically significant(all P＜0.05);infection rate presented increased trend with the increase of age and BMI(both P＜0.001),and decreased trend with the increase of education(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age 45-54 years old(OR=1.951,95％CI:1.031-3.693),age 55-64 years old(OR=2.473,95％CI:1.279-4.781),other occupations(OR=0.530,95％CI:0.292-0.964),teachers(OR=0.439,95％CI:0.242-0.794),students(OR=0.445,95％CI:0.233-0.851),junior high school education or below(OR=1.412,95％CI:1.025-1.944),BMI＜18.5 kg/m2(OR=0.762,95％CI:0.586-0.991),co-living with indicator cases(OR=1.621,95％CI1.316-1.997)and cumu-lative contact time with indicator cases ≥250 hours(OR=1.292,95％CI:1.083-1.540)were the influential fac-tors for LTBI(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The close contacts with positive etiology PTB have a high latent infection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and it is necessary to pay attention to close contacts of high age,farmers,and frequent contact with patients,and take timely targeted interventions to reduce the risk of occurrence of disease.

Objective To explore the application effect and safety of general anesthesia with different doses of remimazolam during vascular intervention anesthesia of intracranial aneurysms.Methods Patients with intracranial aneurysms were divided into high,middle and low dose groups according to the random number table method.The venous access was opened after the patients entered the room,and the vital signs were closely monitored.The low,middle and high dose groups were intravenously injected with 0.25,0.30 and 0.35 mg·kg-1remazolam,respectively.After the loss of consciousness,alfentanil and mivacurium chloride were given for anesthesia induction.The anesthetic effect,recovery quality,hemodynamic indexes,cerebral hemodynamic indexes and neurological function indexes before anesthesia induction(T0),at the time of laryngeal mask insertion(T1),embolization(T2),5 min after operation(T3)and 30 min after operation(T4)were compared among the three groups.The incidence of postoperative cerebral vasospasm(CVS),delayed ischemic neurological dysfunction(DIND)and the incidence of adverse drug reactions related to anesthesia were counted.Results The onset times of anesthesia in the high,middle,and low dose groups were(5.03±1.28),(5.17±1.09),and(7.21±1.15)min,respectively;the number of anesthesia rescue interventions were(0.12±0.02),(0.21±0.06),and(1.51±0.23)times,respectively.There was statistically significant difference in the number of rescue interventions between the high and middle dose groups compared to the low dose group(all P＜0.05).The therapeutic efficacy rates of flumazenil in the high,middle,and low dose groups were 18.18％,11.11％and 2.86％,respectively.the mean arterial pressure(MAP)at T2 were(87.06±6.02),(86.85±5.61)and(81.09±5.37)mmHg;the MAP at T4 were(92.05±5.13),(87.57±6.29)and(84.42±5.16)mmHg,respectively.There was statistically significant difference in MAP between the high and low dose groups(all P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in heart rate(HR),oxygen saturation(SpO2),left peak systolic velocity of middle cerebral artery(Vp-MCA),left mean systolic velocity of middle cerebral artery(Vm-MC)and pulsatility index(PI),S100β protein,and neuron-specific enolase(NSE)levels among the three groups at different time points(all P＞0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence rates of cardiovascular system complications,delayed postoperative cognitive dysfunction,or anesthesia-related adverse reactions between the three groups(all P＞0.05).Conclusion The safety of different doses of remimazolam general anesthesia in the vascular interventional therapy of intracranial aneurysms is high,and the effects on cerebral hemodynamics and neurological function are similar.However,high-dose remimazolam have shorter general anesthesia induction time and less intraoperative anesthesia remedy frequency while the high-dose remimazolam has higher postoperative flumazenil antagonist therapy.

Objective:To evaluate the value of preoperative quantitative quadriceps muscle ultrasound measures in predicting postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.Methods:This was a prospective study. A total of 277 elderly patients of both sexes, aged 65-88 yr, with American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification ≤ Ⅳ and body mass index of≤30 kg/m 2, undergoing elective gastrointestinal surgery with general anesthesia at the Northern Jiangsu People′s Hospital from March to December 2023, were included in the study. The quadriceps femoris thickness and echo intensity were measured using ultrasound before induction of anesthesia. Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method score at 1-7 days after operation. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the occurrence of POD: POD group and non-POD group. Factors with statistically significant differences between groups were included in the logistic regression analysis to identify the independent risk factors for POD, and then a visual risk Nomogram prediction model for POD risk factors was developed based on this analysis in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. The receiver operating characteristic curve was plotted, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and 95% confidence interval ( CI) were used to evaluate the predictive value of each independent risk factor and Nomogram prediction model for POD. The Youden Index was used to determine the critical value for predicting POD, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results:The results of logistic regression analysis revealed that age, preoperative Mini-Mental State Examination scores, quadriceps femoris thickness and echo intensity of quadriceps femoris were independent risk factors for POD in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery ( P<0.05). The AUC of preoperative quadriceps femoris thickness was 0.695 (95% CI 0.614-0.746), the critical value 2.465 cm, the sensitivity 73.7% and the specificity 78.2%. The AUC of preoperative quadriceps femoris echo intensity was 0.717 (95% CI 0.662-0.773), the critical value 59.985, the sensitivity 81.9% and the specificity 48.5%. Conclusions:Preoperative ultrasound measurement of quadriceps femoris thickness and echo intensity is an independent risk factor for POD and has some predictive value for POD in elderly patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.

Aim To establish the fingerprint of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,investigate the difference in their anti-liver fibrosis effects,and ex-plore the relationship between the chemical composition of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum and their an-ti-liver fibrosis efficacy.Methods The fingerprints of 10 batches of raw bupleuri and 10 batches of bupleuri were established by UPLC method.The liver fibrosis cell model in vitro was established by TGF-β induced LX-2 hepatic stellate cells.The liver fibrosis cell mod-el was analyzed with collagen type Ⅰ(col1a1)and α-smoothmuscleactin.The expression of α-SMA protein was used as the pharmacodynamic index.MetaboAna-lyst5.0 was used to screen the difference markers af-fecting the quality of raw bupledges and vinegar bu-pledges with VIP value＞1 as the criterion.Orthogo-nal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)was used to screen the main components of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum against liver fibro-sis.Results There were 18 peaks in the UPLC fin-gerprints of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,and the analysis results showed that there were nine main differences between raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum,among which peaks 9,7 and 6 could be considered as bupleurin d,bupleurin a and bupleurin f.The results of spectral effect relationship showed that the main components of bupleurum anti-liver fibrosis were peaks 11,12,14,15 and 18.Conclusions The established fingerprint method of raw bupleurum and vinegar bupleurum is simple and feasible,and the important components of anti-liver fibrosis activity are screened through the spectrum effect relationship,which provides a basis for clarifying the material basis of anti-liver fibrosis effect of raw bupleurum and vine-gar bupleurum.

Objective To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of early surgical treatment for spinal thoracolumbar fracture without nerve injury.Methods The clinical data of 80 patients with spinal thoracolumbar fracture without nerve injury who were admitted to the department of spinal surgery in our hospital were retrospectively analyzed.According to the different operation timing,those who underwent surgery within 72 hours after fracture were included in the early operation group(n=41),and those who underwent surgery 72 hours to 2 weeks after fracture were included in the elective operation group(n=39).All operations were performed through the Wiltse approach for short-segment pedicle screw fixation on the injured vertebra.The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospital stay and incidence of complication of the two groups were compared.The visual analogue scale(VAS)scores,Oswestry disability index(ODI),compression rate of the anterior edge height of the injured vertebra,and the Cobb angle in the sagittal position of the injured vertebra before surgery,1 week after surgery and 1 year after surgery were compared between the two groups.The improvement rates of the anterior edge height compression and the Cobb angle in the sagittal position of the injured vertebra 1 week and 1 year after surgery were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the operation time,intraoperative blood loss or total incidence of complications between the two groups(P>0.05).The hospital stay in the early operation group was shorter than that in the elective operation group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).The VAS scores and ODI 1 week and 1 year after surgery of the two groups were better than those before surgery,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in the VAS scores or ODI at each time point before and after surgery between the two groups(P>0.05).The compression rate of the anterior edge height and Cobb angle in the sagittal position of the injured vertebra 1 week and 1 year after surgery in the two groups were lower/smaller than those before surgery,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in the compression rate of the anterior edge height or Cobb angle before surgery in the sagittal position of the injured vertebrae between the two groups(P>0.05).The compression rate of the anterior edge height and Cobb angle in the sagittal position of the injured vertebra 1 week and 1 year after surgery in the early operation group were lower/smaller than those in the elective operation group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).The improvement rates of the anterior edge height compression and the Cobb angle in the sagittal position of the injured vertebra 1 week and 1 year after surgery in the early operation group were better than those in the elective operation group,and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Early surgical treatment for spinal thoracolumbar fracture without nerve damage is safe,it can significantly shorten hospitalization time,obtain good fracture reduction quality and definite therapeutic effects.However,a comprehensive preoperative evaluation of the patients' condition is necessary to ensure surgical safety.

Objective:To investigate the effect of pre-treatment plasma Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)DNA copy number on the clinical features and prognosis of patients with adult secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis(sHLH).Methods:The clinical characteristics,survival rate,and prognostic factors of 171 patients with adult sHLH treated at Jiangsu Province Hospital from June 2017 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed in this study.Patients were divided into three groups,including the EBV DNA-negative group(＜5.0 × 102 copies/ml),lower EBV-DNA loads group(5.0 × 102-8.51 × 104 copies/ml),and higher EBV-DNA loads group(＞8.51 × 104 copies/ml),according to pre-treatment plasma EBV-DNA copy number.Cox regression model was established for screening prognostic factors.Adult sHLH survival prediction model was constructed and realized through the nomogram based on EBV-DNA load after adjusted the factors affecting survival of etiology and treatment strategy.Concordance index(C-index)and calibration curves were calculated to verify model predictive and discriminatory capacity.Results:Among 171 adult sHLH patients,84 patients were not infected with EBV(EBV DNA-negative group),and 87 with EBV(EBV DNA-positive group,48 lower EBV-DNA loads group and 39 higher EBV-DNA loads group).Consistent elevations in the levels of liver enzymes(ALT and AST),LDH,TG,β2-microglobulin and ferritin across the increasing of EBV-DNA load(all P＜0.05),while the levels of fibrinogen decrease(P＜0.001).The median follow-up time was 52 days(range 20-230 days),and 123 patients died.The overall survival(OS)rate of patients in EBV DNA-positive group was lower than that in EBV DNA-negative group(median OS:40 days vs 118 days,P＜0.001).Higher EBV-DNA loads had worse OS(median OS:24 days vs 45 days vs 118 days,P＜0.0001 for trend)compared to lower EBV-DNA loads and EBV DNA-negative group.Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that higher EBV-DNA loads(P=0.005),fibrinogen≤ 1.5 g/L(P=0.012),ferritin(P=0.041),associated lymphoma(P=0.002),and anti-tumor based strategy(P=0.001)were independent prognostic factors for OS.The C-indexes of 30 day,90 days,365 days survival rate were all greater than 0.8 of the nomogram model and calibration curves provided credibility to their predictive capability.Subgroup analysis showed that patients with higher EBV-DNA loads had a significantly worse prognosis in adult sHLH who were women,ferritin＞5 000 μg/L,β2-microglobulin＞7.4 mmol/L and regardless of age,etiologies,HScore points.Conclusion:The EBV-DNA load is a strong and independent predictor for survival in patients with sHLH.The prognostic nomogram based on EBV-DNA loads was dependable and provides a visual tool for evaluating the survival of adult sHLH.